Paul Murphy confronts Government over Gaza flotilla and alleged genocide

Thanks. Minister, the nightmare for the people in Gaza continues to worsen. For two years they have been facing an Israeli genocide. More than 65,000 people have been killed, more than 20,000 children amongst them. 92% of homes are destroyed or damaged. All the hospitals are destroyed or damaged. 250 journalists have been murdered. Since March, famine has been deliberately created by Israel. Every single day, tens of people are gunned down while they're queuing for food. Gaza City is being invaded. People are being slaughtered. Al Shifa Hospital, the last functioning hospital there, is now surrounded with tanks 500 metres away, all as part of a plan consciously carried out of ethnic cleansing. All of this horror could only be happening with the arms, with the money, with the political support of the most powerful countries in the world. The US, Germany, Britain, many others are providing the weapons. Thousands of tons of these munitions have illegally gone through Irish airspace without the Irish government doing a thing about it. In the face of this genocide, in the face of such complicity of Western governments, over 500 ordinary people have taken it upon themselves to try to sail to Gaza, to break the siege, to open a people's humanitarian corridor to provide aid and food to starving people. What is the reaction of the Israeli government to this humanitarian initiative? To label it a jihadist initiative? The Hamas flotilla? To call the participants terrorists? I spent two weeks in Tunis, helping to prepare the flotilla, and I can assure you these are decent people from around the world who are looking to do whatever they can to try to stop the slaughter. The rhetoric was clearly designed to justify attacking the flotilla. On Tuesday night, 11 boats were attacked by drones, explosive and incendiary devices, chemical substances and physical damage. Yesterday, the flotilla received credible intelligence from multiple European governments, saying that Israel is likely to escalate violent attacks on the flotilla within the next 48 hours, potentially using weapons that could sink boats, injure or kill participants. The Tornister signed a joint statement on the 16th of September, calling, quote, on everyone to refrain from any unlawful or violent act against the flotilla, and saying, quote, any violation of international law and human rights of the participants in the flotilla, including attacks against the vessels in international waters or illegal detention, will lead to accountability. A violent act has now taken place. Under pressure of the Italian workers who went on strike on Monday in support of Palestine, two naval ships have now been sent by the Italian government to the flotilla. The Spanish State has also sent a vessel to help protect it. Minister, there are 22 Irish citizens on board, including Senator Chris Andrews, with Deputy Barry Heenehan due to join him. Their lives are in danger. What is the Government going to do to protect them? What accountability will there be? Will you, at the very least, send a representative to join the legal observer boat to be a witness? Thank you very much, Deputy, for raising, as indeed Deputy Doherty did, a really important issue regarding the protection of citizens on international seas and the rule of law with regard to them. The Government, the Taoiseach and the Taoiseach are very keenly aware of this. What are we doing with regard to it? Deputy Murphy, we are taking diplomatic action. We are raising this matter with other governments within the European Union and raising this matter in the international gatherings that are currently happening in New York. I want to reiterate again that international law and the protection of international law must be afforded to those who are at sea at the moment and those who are at the flotilla. Regardless of the conditions that they are in, they deserve the protection of international law. It is absolutely crucial, Deputy Murphy. I don't have the first-hand experience that you do of the flotilla and seeing it prepare, but I have no doubt at all that all those who are involved in it are motivated by a desire to send a signal regarding their human response to what is happening in Gaza and to play whatever role they can in offering practical support to the people that are currently confronting such terrible, awful conditions. In relation to what we have done, it is at a number of different levels. Firstly, the Taoiseach, as I said earlier on in this session, has raised this issue with Vice President Kai Callas, who is the High Representative of the European Union in regard to foreign policy, to make the case for the European Union having a collective response back to this. He has also raised this matter at the meeting that took place in the last number of days regarding the global alliance on the two-state solution, the efforts that countries are making at the moment to still make the case for a two-state solution in the Middle East. Then, of course, in terms of what our own Department of Foreign Affairs are doing at a very practical level, it is doing all they can to provide consular assistance to our citizens who now find themselves in such a difficult situation. I am informed that our officials are in direct contact now with a designated point of contact in the global movement to Gaza delegation, which I understand is the organising group behind this flotilla at the moment, and we will continue to maintain that contact, Deputy, and to raise this issue at the highest level that we can, both diplomatically and politically. Minister, look, obviously I welcome the words of concern, support, the consular assistance which is being provided. All those things are welcomed. Respectfully, I did ask what are you going to do, not what are you going to say, and I think this is a bit of a microcosm of the government's position on Palestine in general, where you are able correctly to say it is a genocide, but the action doesn't necessarily follow. It is welcome that you are going to raise it at diplomatic levels and so on, but what are you going to do? There are Irish citizens who are, like you, agree, are doing their best to try and address a humanitarian catastrophe, try and stop it, try and bring baby food, but baby formula to people in Gaza, and they are in danger as a consequence of that. The Italian government is sending two naval ships. The Spanish government is sending a naval ship. I am not asking you to send a naval ship. Will you agree to send an observer who will not attempt to enter Gaza? The legal observer boat will stop before Gazan waters, but an observer to be present on the legal observer boat, to be a witness and a direct line of contact with the Irish government. So for a country with our longstanding tradition with regard to respect for human rights and our neutrality, diplomacy is the way we conduct our affairs and diplomacy is the way we seek to influence the world and protect the rights of our citizens. So words are not powerless. Words are not an absence of action. Words are not the lack of effort. Words and diplomacy is the way we seek to make our case, with the respect that we have for international law, with the values that we have long established. Words are our means of action. Words are our tool of influence. So I entirely reject and refute the case that you make that communication and contact is not the same as action. It is not something that can yield a result. It is due to the diplomatic action that we have taken that we have tried to play a role in influencing and building up a coalition of countries that have recently taken larger action with regard to the state of Palestine. In relation to the individual proposal that you have put to me there, I have certainly raised that with the Department of Foreign Affairs to see if there is a role for an observer in relation to a deputy. Taking your concern at face value, which of course I will do, given the importance of this issue. I cannot immediately commit that an official can do this, but I will certainly commit to following up on it, because we are at one in wanting to ensure that any citizen that is involved in such a peaceful act gets the respect and protection of international law. Thanks Minister.